Complications of Shadows in the Wind
by coolgirl312
Summary: "It's just sex." That was the agreement. No one knows whose idea it was or who started it; it just happened. No catch, no feelings, no nothing, just sex. It was a good idea at the time, but unfortunately, its easier said than done. Neither one of them wants to admit the inevitable to the other... So what happens now that a new life is created through this? rated M for a reason!
1. The Agreement (Prologue)

The agreement {prologue}

"It's just sex." That was the agreement they had. No one knows whose idea it was or who started it, it just happened. No catch, no feelings, no nothing, just sex. And that's what it's been for the past few months. Ever since she's been made the Ambassador of Suna, she's been spending most of her time running back and forth between the two villages. Living in Konoha for weeks or months at a time has soon made the leaf village feel like a second home to her. But still, with the constant traveling, it was hard to hold down a relationship in either village, not that she wanted one to begin with. Somewhere during one of her extended stays in Konoha, this arrangement between the two of them happened. And it's been the silent agreement between them since. How have they rose suspicion among their friend? Well it's not that they didn't raise suspicion, more like no one chose to voice it. Everyone just assumed they were in a relationship. If anyone did voice it, they would just simply shoot it down, go about their days separately, and they have their wild night together. It helped that her Konoha apartment was next door to his, so it made sneaking back and forth easy. They had a good thing going, they thought. They both got to "relieve tension" and enjoy the pleasures of sex without the hassle of a relationship and they were ok with that. That was the agreement. Even though this wasn't a conventional relationship, unbeknownst to them, it was starting to become one. The nights between them started to become longer, the "sneak away" time in the morning became later, and the rolling over and sleeping on separate sides of the bed eventually became cuddling in the middle. Neither one of them wanted to admit to the other that they were developing feelings; that was forbidden in their agreement. They thought the arrangement they had was great, and neither one of them wanted to be the one to ruin it. Needless to say, arrangements like these don't last. Something usually eventually happens to complicate or break them.


	2. The Complication Arises

The Complication Arises 

"Hmm, something isn't right." Shikamaru thought as he silently studied Temari as she read the latest documents on her couch. He decided to try something.

Shikamaru got up from the recliner he was sitting on, walk over to her, and plucked the document out of her hand.

"Hey! What was that for?" She asked slightly annoyed.

Instead of an answering her, Shikamaru plucked the cup of tea she had in her other hand and placed it on the table. He then crawled on top of her and covered the crook of her neck with kisses, one of her sweet spots. He knew kissing her there would make it harder for her to resist him.

"Ahh…Shikamaru! You know I have a meeting with the Hokage in an hour right?" She said as her breaths became shorter. God he knows which buttons of her to push.

"Shhh I know, I'll make it quick." Shikamaru said as he quickly disrobed her.

Temari sighed as she gave in "Fine!" She proceeded to reach for his pants.

"Hmm she didn't resist. " He thought as he dove in between her legs. Spreading them apart, he moved her panties aside and gave her slit a long lick from end to end.

"Ahhh Shikamaru!" She wrapped her legs around his head, bring him closer to her. "Omg there! Right there!" She screamed she undid his ponytail and ran her fingers though his hair. He gave out a low grunt when she pulled his hair, sending a vibration though her lower half.

The way Shikamaru eats her out gets her every time; he knew exactly where to go to drive her mad. Who knew such a lazy ninja would be such an animal in bed? She was glad she had him to herself.

"Wait! Did she just say she was glad to have Shikamaru to herself? No stop thinking that Temari! You don't own him. You guys are not together. He can be with whoever he w-AHHH" Temari couldn't help but verbalize her pleasure as she covered Shikamaru's face with her juice. "Didn't take him very long," she thought. But that's what she liked about him; he knows when to get to the point when they were in a time crunch.

Shikamaru wiped her juices off his face and then moved up to kiss her. She could taste herself in him mouth as she felt his hard tip touch her entrance. She gasped as he slid into her, fitting snugly inside. He slid out almost as soon as he slid in, moving at a rapid pace, in and out. Temari arched herself upwards, leaning her back against the armrest. This angle gave Shikamaru the perfect tightness to drive him over the edge. Then he increased his pace. The faster he went, the tighter her walls got, the harder he got. Soon he couldn't hold it and released his load into her.

"Uhhh!" He grunted before clasping on her.

"Keep moving….Shika…maru." Temari said breathlessly under him. She was so close to her second orgasm there was no way she was gonna let him end there.

"sorry," he continued to grind his hips into her slowly. She climaxed soon after.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly before kissing him on the lips.

Five minutes later, they were dressed and acting like the previous episode never happened.

"There's still some tea left in the kitchen. Want some before we head out?" Temari asked him as he put his hair back in a ponytail

"Sure that would be nice." He said following her into the kitchen. "Yep, something definitely wasn't right" he thought.

"Temari, when was the last time you had your period?" He asked her when she handed him a cup of tea.

"WHHATT!?" Temari replied in shock, she reached behind herself to grab a kunai.

"Wait! Before you pelt me with Kunais, just hear me out." Shikamaru took a sip of tea before continuing. "So in the past few months since we've had this…'thing' going on. I've kind of picked up a few hints about your period cycle. You see, you're usually here a few weeks at a time, during these times where we'd fuck the lights out of each other."

"Yeah?" Temari said, still intent on grabbing a kunai and stabbing him. She's still isn't sure on where he's going with this

"I've noticed that, the only times you've turned down sex for unexplained reason were usually around the 3rd week of the month. During this time, you're more irritable and short tempered than usual. Please don't hit me, let me explain!" Shikamaru said as soon as he saw the hint of anger in her eyes. "Anyways, I figured out those where the days you were on your period. But last month, I went to Suna with you around the 3rd or 4th week and you weren't on your period. I know you didn't get it earlier because you were in Konoha all that time. So now we're onto this month, and you've been here all month, so you should've gotten your period by now. But I know you hadn't because otherwise, you would've pushed me off when I approached you on the couch."

Temari was shocked. How dare he observe her so well that he now knows her cycle, in fact, he knew it better than her? She couldn't help but feel a little violated. She reached for the kunai again. "Why did he care so much about when her last period was, was he that much of a strategist that he had to plan when they can't have sex? Wait! When was the last time she had her period? It had been awhile…" suddenly, Temari realized why he asked. She dropped her kunai when she finally put the pieces together. "Shit"

"So I'm guessing you just realized you haven't had one in a while. I guess there's no point in asking if you're pregnant or not." Shikamaru said, watching Temari's reaction carefully.

"I…I don't know…" Temari sat down in a chair. This was just too much for her at the moment. "How come I didn't realize this before? How come he found out before her?" She thought

"Look, I may or may not be pregnant, I don't know for sure. But I can't think about that at the moment, I got a meeting with Lady Tsunade. So can we talk about this later?" She really didn't want to deal with this at the moment.

"Ok fine. Come to my place after you're done okay? We'll discuss it then." Shikamaru said

"Sure. I guess I'll see you later. Make sure you lock the door when you leave." She said before leaving

Shikamaru leaned back against his chair and thought about what had just happened. Then it hit him that not only was it possible that Temari may be pregnant, this meant that he might become a father soon. "Dammit," he thought. It looks like this little agreement he and Temari was about to become troublesome…

* * *

Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Sorry if there are any grammar and/or wording errors, it's not my strong point but I'm working on it. I got an idea for this story a while back and I decided to run with it recently. So let me know what you guys think and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	3. So Much for No Consequences

So Much for No Consequences

Temari was trying her best to look alert during her meeting with the Hokage but her mind kept racing elsewhere. Could she really be pregnant? What is she going to do now? Better yet, what is Shikamaru going to do? They had a good thing going; they agreed that it was going to be just sex with no feelings or consequences. Now this is just going to ruin everything.

"You got that Temari?" Tsunade said

"What? Yeah. Sure. I understand." Temari replied after being brought out of her inner world

"Ok, that would be all. Thank you for coming by." Tsunade said

"Thank You Lady Tsunade, I'll will write to my brother and come back with his answer when I get it." Temari said before leaving.

As soon as the Hokage door closed after her, Temari slid against the wall and let out a sigh. As much as she wanted to avoid it, she had to go talk to Shikamaru. Suddenly, it seemed like her life was starting to fall apart again.

"Hey Temari? I didn't know you were back in Konoha."

Temari looked up to see who greeted her and saw two pairs of white eyes staring back.

"Oh hey Hinata, Neji! Yeah I've been running back and forth Suna and here a lot recently." Temari said chuckling, trying to hide her nerves.

"You feeling ok?" Hinata asked worryingly, she sensed that something was off about her.

"yeah, I'm fine. What are you guys doing here anyways" Temari asked, trying to direct the attention away from her.

"We just got back from a mission, so we were going to report to the Hokage." Neji explained. "Is she available?"

"Yeah she's in there. Anyways, I got to go. So see you guys around!" Temari got up and left the Hugas quickly.

"Say Hinata, did you notice something strange about her chakra?" Neji questioned his cousin

"Yeah, I don't know why, but there's something different about her chakra. I hope it's nothing serious." Hinata said before entering Tsunade's office with Neji.

"Whew! That was close" Temari thought as she left the building. She knew that if she stayed around the Hugas too long, they might sense something different in her charka. Especially Neji and Hinata, who were well known for their sensing abilities. Even though most of the village already suspects something was up, she was not ready for the rest of the world to know about her and Shikamaru just yet, especially their kind of relationship.

"Ok time to go talk to Shikamaru." Temari sighed. Then out of nowhere, the sweet smell of dango hit her nose. "but first I'm gonna get some dango"

* * *

10 mins later, with her dango in hand, she arrived in front of Shikamaru's place. She knocked once, looked around to see if anyone she knew was lurking, before walking in. She found Shikamaru taking a nap on his couch. She closed the door behind her, then sat down next to him.

She then decided the best way to wake him was to dangle a stick of dango over his face. Within a few seconds of inhaling the unfamiliar sweet sent, Shikamaru opened his eyes to see what it was.

"here." Temari said handing the dango to him.

"Thanks." Shikamaru said, taking the stick from her. They ate their snack in silence.

"So. What's going to happen to us…" Temari said finally. "If I'm pregnant I mean."

"I really don't know. I mean we don't know if you are for sure. We should probably get you checked out just to be sure." Shikamaru said scratching his head. He really wasn't sure of what to say. In his mind he knew that he was not going to let Temari walk away with his child. Heck he wasn't even against the idea of the possibility of them giving a relationship a try. But he wasn't going to outright say that to her, as it was against their agreement.

"Yeah I know." Temari said. She really wasn't sure if she should tell him how terrified she was. She really liked the arrangement they had going on. And now, this was not part of it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to have a child. She definitely didn't feel ready. She really wanted things to remain the same between her and Shikamaru, but it doesn't look like that was going to stay that way.

"So much for no consequences, no catch," Shikamaru muttered under his breath while thinking, not realizing he had accidently verbalized it.

"Hey! Don't make it sound like it was my fault! After all, this happened because you didn't put on a condom those few times!" Temari snapped at Shikamaru

"Excuse me, if I do recall, those incidences happened because YOU didn't let me. You told me to hurry it up and get in you. And if I remember correctly I did pull out those times." Shikamaru explained. Truthfully they both played a part in this, but neither one of them wanted to admit to that.

"UHHH! Forget it, if you're not gonna fess up to your part, then we're done here. I'll handle this issue myself!" Temari said before angrily storming out of his apartment and into hers before Shikamaru could say another word.

"Temari wait!" Shikamaru said before hearing her door slam shut. "Dammit, why does she have to be so troublesome."

Shikamaru knew better than to go over to her apartment right then. Knowing her, she needed some time to cool down before she could think rationally.

"Uhhh! How dare he blame her!" Temari thought as she paced back and forth in her apartment. She couldn't believe this was happening. Just earlier today, they were still going about their day, having mindless sex. And now she's suddenly stuck with the possibly of being pregnant with their child. She knew they were careful with their encounters for the most part, except for those select few times. But even then, she knew they were careful. She knew that was probably their careless mistake. But still, how dare his act like it wasn't his fault! The longer Temari thought about this, the less mad she got. It was his fault that she might be pregnant, but she also had a play in that. Was she really against having Shikamaru's kid? The answer she determined, was no. But what would he think about it? Would he even want a child? She didn't know. She took a deep breath. "Why am I even thinking this hard? I don't even know if I'm pregnant for sure." She decided to get that part checked out first, and then she would deal with Shikamaru later. "Man I'm hungry. I should make dinner."

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was doing his own thinking. He knew he was going to have to apologize to Temari sooner or later. He really didn't mean to make it sound like he was blaming her and he really didn't. He knew for a while that their encounters were becoming more intimate and less "casual sex". He really wasn't against the idea of them becoming something more, but never wanted to say anything because he didn't want to lose what they had. And he knew that she probably felt the same way.

* * *

Later that night, Shikamaru tossed and turned in his bed. He had turned in early with the intent of sleeping off his thoughts, but his body had other plans. It was nights like these that he would go over to Temari's or invite her over and they would spend the night screwing each other until neither one of them could walk normally the next day. But tonight definitely wasn't a night to do that. After tossing and turning for another hour though, Shikamaru gave up and tossed the covers off of him.

He put on his shoes and walked straight over to Temari's place. He unlocked her front door, walked in and locked the door quietly behind him. He found her curled up in bed with her back to him. He carefully slid into bed and spooned her from behind. Sensing that she was still awake and not resisting him, he began to talk.

"Look Temari, I'm sorry for making it sound like this was all your fault. I really didn't mean it. Seriously. We both had a play in this." Shikamaru said before wrapping his arms around her stomach and burying his head into the back of her neck. "I know when we started this arrangement; we agreed that there was going to be no feelings or consequences in this. But as hard as we tried to push it out of our minds, I know this has become more than just sex. Don't try denying it. So what's going to happen now that we might be having a baby? I will honestly say I am scared out of my mind about being a father. But I know I want to be there for him/her." He rubbed her belly gently "where does that leave us? I don't know. I'm not against giving our relationship a real chance, but its up to you if you want to give it a shot too." Shikamaru finished his speech by placing a kiss on the back of Temari's neck

Hearing Shikamaru talk really calmed her down. And he was right about everything he said. She turned so that she was now snuggling into his chest. "I know this has become more than just the sex, I just didn't want to admit it. I liked what we had going and I was afraid of losing it, as messed up as our agreement was." She shed a single tear into his chest and hugged him tighter. "I was afraid you didn't feel the same way. I'm so glad I was wrong." Dammit, she hated being so vulnerable in front of people.

Shikamaru placed another kiss on top of her head to comfort her. "Hey, let's go get you checked out tomorrow okay?"

"Okay…" Temari said hesitantly. "But who though? I don't know if I'm ready to tell the entire world about us just yet."

Shikamaru thought about it for a moment. They definitely shouldn't go to Ino, she was the queen of gossip in Konoha. Sakura was a bit better but usually can't keep quiet if Ino manages to pry it out of her. "We could try Shizune; she's a trustworthy medical nin who trained under the Hokage. She just got back from a mission yesterday so she should be around."

"Ok, sounds good to me. Thank you Shikamaru." Temari said before falling asleep

And for the first time, they two of them actually got a full nights rest in each other's arms.

* * *

Ok that's all for now. See you in the next chapter! Thanks to those who reviewed, faved, and/or followed my story!


	4. The Morning After

The Morning After

The next morning Temari woke up alone in her bed. For a moment she thought Shikamaru's sudden visit the night before was just a dream, but rumbled sheets and the lingering warmth told her that he was indeed there the entire night and had probably just left not long ago. The fact that she was still dressed also told her they didn't fall asleep after a wild round of sex, which was a first for them. She groaned and rolled over on her other side, hoping to get in a little more sleep before she had to get up for the day. But then the events of the previous day and the talk with Shikamaru that night came flooding back to her mind. "Did he really mean it when he said he wasn't against giving their relationship a try? Is what they have right now even considered a relationship?" In her mind, Temari didn't want to think of it as a relationship. If it was, it definitely wouldn't be considered a healthy one. Besides, the idea of a relationship always kind of scared her. It meant opening herself up to someone emotionally; it meant having a connection with someone, and worst of all, it meant being tied down to someone/somewhere, and that wasn't Temari. Having a baby would definitely mean all three.

No longer tired, Temari groaned and rolled out of bed. A long shower sounded nice right now. "Was settling down with Shikamaru really a horrible idea though?" No, the image she has of her and Shikamaru and their child surprisingly wasn't a horrifying one. "But wait, did Shikamaru really want to do this? Or was he just offering to try a relationship because she might be pregnant?" Temari froze for a second as warm water rain down her body. She stared at her belly, which was completely flat, showing no signs that she could be expecting. "Was there really a little life growing inside there? A life that could possible change hers?" She shook off and proceeded to wash her hair. "Silly me, why am I thinking like this? I might not even be pregnant. Nothing might change."

After she felt satisfied with her shower, she got out and wrapped a towel around herself and opened the bathroom door. Almost immediately she was hit with the sweet smell of tea and eggs. Curious as to who was cooking in her kitchen, she went to investigate.

"About time you got out of the shower. Did you fall asleep in there or something?" He said in a sarcastic tone

"I thought you left." She said as she watched him put whatever he was cooking onto two plates

"I did, I went out of a quick jog, took a shower at my place, and then came back a little while ago." Shikamaru explained as he set their breakfast on the table and motioned her to sit down. "I figured you could use a nice breakfast before we go see Shizune."

"Oh yeah, forgot that was our plan," Temari thought as she sat down, ignoring the fact that she was still in her towel. It was nearly summer anyways. "I didn't know you would wake up early to jog" she jokingly said to the lazy ninja, imaging him jogging.

"I only do it from time to time. It helps me clear my mind." He said setting a cup of tea in front of her before sitting down across from her.

"Oh," she said before shoveling food in her mouth. "He must've thinking about it too." She thought

The two of them ate their breakfast in silence, stealing occasional glances at each other. Temari could tell that her being only in a towel was torturing Shikamaru slowly. She was well aware the short glances up from his food to her showed hints of desire and lust. After what seemed like the 10th time he looked at her, she decided to have a little fun. Scooping up the last of her food, she proceeded to bring it to her mouth, only to "accidently" drop a piece down her cleavage.

"oops!" she said as she fished it out and popped it in her mouth, making sure to lick her fingers after. She smirked when she heard his breath hitch a bit. Oh she wasn't done just yet. She leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms wide on either side, puffing her chest out. "Ahh, thanks for breakfast, it was delicious." That motion caused her towel to fall off her body, giving Shikamaru a full frontal flash of her body.

"I'm gonna go get dressed." She announced as she stood up from her chair, not caring that she was now fully nude in front of him. It's not like he hasn't seen in all already. Satisfied with his gawking reaction, she turned to exit the kitchen. It's always nice to be able to tease him like that; the reactions she gets never get old.

She didn't get far before hearing the clank of a fork, the sliding back of a chair and a set of hands cupping her breasts soon after. She was pulled backwards into his chest as his arms moved to snake around just under her chest and around her belly. He placed a kiss on the back of her neck before turning her around and attacking her lips feverishly with his. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he picked her up and walked them to her room.

He plopped her down on the bed before crawling on top of her and attacking her lips again. His hands were all over her body, touching anywhere he can reach. Temari let out a moan as one of them settled in between her legs. Of course she expected this when she pulled that stunt; this was just the outcome she had anticipated. What she didn't expect though, was him to suddenly stop, grab both her hands as she was just about to reach for his pants and pinning them above her head. She glared at him as they both caught their breaths. He was straddling her at this point, still holding her arms above her. She felt powerless in this position and she didn't like it.

Shikamaru leaned down as if to kiss her again, only to stop millimeters from her lips. "That was a nice show you put out there." He whispered before kissing her nose. "As much as I would like to continue on, we have to get going to the hospital." He leased his hold of her arms, but not before leaning down and giving her cleavage a nice, long, lick. "You missed a piece." He said with a smirk on his face before getting off her.

"Get dressed; we have to get to Shizune before she gets off her shift." Shikamaru said leaving her room

Temari laid there for a second longer to recover from her shock before getting up. She decided quickly to pull on a pair of black spandex shorts over her mesh ones and a lavender thigh length short-sleeved shirt. After all her necessary ninja tools were put in place and her red sash was tied around her waist; she put on her forehand protector. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She didn't notice anything different about herself; it was the same old Temari staring back. "Well, that all might change soon." She thought as she left her room.

Shikamaru was waiting for her by the door.

"Ready to go?" He asked

"Yeah, hang on, let me grab my fan." She replied, grabbing her fan that was resting by the door and inserting it into her sash

"Do you really need to bring that? The hospital is not far from here." Shikamaru questioned

"Hey, we don't want to raise suspicions among people. This way, at least I look like I'm doing official business"

"Ok, whatever you say." Shikamaru said before muttering "troublesome women" under his breath

"I heard that!" Temari smacked his arm

"Whatever, let's go."

* * *

That's all for now! Sorry for taking longer to update (though I usually took longer with my other stories), but now that I'm out of school, I may or may not be quicker with updates, we'll see.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I'm trying my best to not make it too cliché-y and writing the characters as in character as possible, though they will seem out of character from time to time. Just a heads up, this chapter will probably be the last "smutty" chapter for a while. I'm still not sure about where I want this story to go but I got a few things planned.

Ok, I'll stop rambling now. Thank you to all of those who faved, followed, and/or reviewed this story! I'll try to update sooner. See you in the next update!


	5. Are you positive?

Are you Positive?

The walk to the hospital was fairly uneventful for the two and they were grateful for that. The last thing Shikamaru or Temari wanted was run into one of their friends and have them stop and chat. Thankfully, the nations are now living in a more peaceful time so the hospital isn't crowded with injured ninjas who would recognize them. Once they entered through the main doors, it didn't take them long to find Shizune.

"Hey Shizune, are you free at the moment?" Shikamaru asked once they've approached her

"Oh hey Shikamaru, Temari, how are you guys? Yeah my shift ends in 15 minutes, but I got nothing else at hand. So what's up?" Shizune said cheerfully. She wasn't really surprised to see Shikamaru and Temari together as she is well aware that Tsunade often assigns Shikamaru as Temari's escort whenever she's in Konoha.

"Is there anywhere we can discuss in private? Umm we need you to…examine something for Temari, but you have to promise to keep it a secret. Can you do that?" Shikamaru said in a whisper while looking around to make sure no one else's ears where lingering.

"Um sure? Follow me." Shizune led the two into an examination room and closed the door.

"Ok what's going on." She demanded

"First, you have to swear you will not share anything from this…meeting…with anyone unless we say its ok." Shikamaru demanded

Now Shizune was getting a bit curious. Could it really be something that bad? "Fine, I swear on Lady Tsunade's head that I will not share any information you're about to give me AS LONG AS it's not going put this village or any other allying village in immediate danger."

"Sounds good enough to me," Shikamaru said turning to Temari, who had taken a seat on the examination table.

Shizune turned her attention toward Temari. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Being put on the spot, Temari suddenly lost her ability to look at someone directly in the eye and started fidgeting with the end of her sash. "Um…well…you see…I…I-"

"She might be pregnant and we need to check and see if she is or not." Shikamaru explained

"So…that's what you want me to examine?" Shizune asked, slightly shocked by the revelation

Shikamaru shrugged "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Ahhh I knew it! I knew you guys were together! Aww and you might be having a baby? That's so adorable! How long have you guys been dating?" Shizune shrieked, forgetting for a moment that she was a medical nin, in a professional setting, with an actual patient.

Shikamaru and Temari looked at eachother and blushed. They were not ready to reveal their true relationship with Shizune. "That's not important, we just need to know if she's pregnant or not." Shikamaru said

"Oh yeah, sorry I got a little carried away. Hang on; I'm going to get some supplies. I'll be right back!" Shizune said excitedly before exiting the room.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Temari questioned Shikamaru

"Yeah, I don't know what THAT was. But she is one of the best healers around and she's not part of the Konoha 11 so we don't have to worry about gossip spreading like wild fire.

"Ok, I hope you're right about that. I'm not ready to let all of this out just yet." Temari said

"Yeah, me too."

Shizune came in soon after with various bottles and tools. "Ok let's get started!"

Shikamaru and Temari watched as Shizune mixed the contents of the bottles into a small bowl and mixed them until it formed a dark paste.

"Ok Temari I need you to lie down and lift your shirt up." Shizune instructed

Temari did as she was told, removing her sash, lifting her shirt up just below the chest and laying down. She watched as Shizune dipped her index and middle fingers into the paste and proceeded to draw some unknown symbols on her belly. She would re-dip her fingers every few strokes until she formed what resembled a seal on Temari's belly.

"Ok Temari, I'm going to perform a jutsu and apply some pressure on your belly so don't freak out." Shizune explained as she placed the bowl down and wiped her fingers. She then did a few hand seals and then pressed one hand on Temari's belly, over the seal she drew.

They all watched as the seal glowed white. Once Shizune removed her hand, the glow coming from the seal faded into a light baby blue color.

"Well congratulations Temari, you are definitely pregnant." Shizune announced

Temari didn't know whether she felt happy or sad about the news. In a way, she just felt…numb. "Wait, how do you know?" She asked, just to make sure Shizune wasn't messing with them

"If the seal turned blue, then it means you're pregnant. If you weren't, then it would've faded back to its original color." Shizune explained

Shikamaru had to sit down to let the news sink in. It's official; he's going to be a father.

"Hey. If you guys are still skeptical, I can do the test again." Shizune offered, sensing that the couple needed a little more solid confirmation

"Yeah do it again please." Temari said. It wasn't that she was hoping the test would come out negative the 2nd time; she just wanted to be sure. And let the whole idea sink in.

Shizune wiped off the first seal and drew on a second one. "Ok I'm going to perform the jutsu now." She warned. Performing the hand seals again, she pressed her hand on Temari's belly until the seal glowed.

Suddenly a knock was heard. Before anyone inside could react, the door swung open and in came Tsunade.

"Shizune, there you are! I need you to-" Tsunade froze mid-sentence as she recognized the familiar faces occupying the room.

"Oh hey Lady Tsunade! What are you doing here?" Shizune said, trying her best to sound casual. She removed her hand from Temari's belly, which was still glowing.

This movement was not unseen by Tsunade, it made her suspect that they weren't up to anything good. "Well, I'm hokage and a medical nin, so it's only natural I visit the hospital now and then…." Her voice faded as she noticed what type of seal was on Temari and the color it had just turned

There was an awkward silence in the room as the 3 ninjas braced for Tsunade's reaction. But nothing happened.

"So…what is it that you wanted me to do?" Shizune said breaking the silence

"Oh I just wanted you to run this envelope to that guy I owed money to, he should be waiting by the village entrance." Tsunade explained, handing the envelope to Shizune while not taking her eyes off of Shikamaru or Temari.

"Yeah sure! I'll do that when I get off here." Shizune said giving a nervous chuckle. She was still waiting for a beating from Tsunade.

"Thanks, that's all." Tsunade said heading towards the door. "You two, I want you in my office as soon as you're done here, that's an order!" She said sternly before closing the door behind her.

Shikamaru and Temari looked at each other in sheer terror. "Oh shit" they both thought. They've got some major explaining to do.

* * *

That's all for now! So yeah, they have officially figured out that Temari is pregnant. Now it's time for their real journey to begin!

I'll try to update within the next few days or so, no promises though. My life has been pretty hectic lately, so I don't have much time to write. Thankfully I have written several chapters ahead so I have some cushion time, I just need to read them over and correct some stuff before posting them. Thanks for sticking by and see you in the next update!

SIDENOTE: I posted a poll on my profile to decide on the gender of the baby (cause I'm not to sure yet). So feel free to vote on it!


	6. So What Now?

So...What Now?

Shikamaru and Temari took their time going over to the Hokage office. Neither of them were prepared to explain to Tsunade what was going on. Everyone is aware of Tsunade's temper and inhuman strength, so who knows what she's going to do to them when they get there?

"So how are we going to play this? You got a plan?" Temari asked

"Eh, sort of. I think its best we play it like we've been dating secretly. That ok with you?"

"Yeah I guess."

Soon they arrived in front of the Hokage office. They both took a deep breath.

"Ready?" Shikamaru asked Temari, to which she nodded

Shikamaru gave the door 2 knocks.

"Come in!" They opened the door to fine Tsunade sitting at her desk, looking as if she was expecting them. "Close the door behind you."

Shikamaru did as he was told, then turned to look at Tsunade. Neither of them dared to move a muscle.

"So. You guys want to tell me what's going on?" Tsunade demanded

"Well, it's just as you saw at the hospital. Temari is pregnant and I'm the father." Shikamaru admitted

"I see. So what are you guys going to do next? I'm assuming you guys didn't plan this. Are you guys even together?"

The two ninjas looked at each other. Temari answered this time, "No, we didn't plan this. And yeah, I guess we're together, we've just been keeping it a secret from everyone, because you know how some people can get. And we don't really know what we're gonna do next, I mean we just found out so we haven't planned yet."

"You guys know how reckless this is? I swear young people these days! You guys know you have to use protection while having sexual intercourse! That way, you guys can prevent something like this from happening!" Tsunade lectured the couple

The couple both turned away from each other as 50 red shades of red crept onto their face. If Tsunade had known about the amount of sexual encounters they've actually had…well who knows how she would've reacted.

"Yes, I know we've been reckless, but we're going to handle this like adults and deal with the consequences." Shikamaru stated

Tsunade rubbed her head. "Ok fine. Here's what I need you two to do. I need you to get the hell out of my office and go talk out what you're going to do now that you're expecting. And I want you guys back here in a few days with a decent plan. You guys are both strategists so I suspect this shouldn't be too hard.

"Yes Lady Tsunade, we'll go do that." Temari said. "Thank you for your time"

They bowed to the Hokage and left. After closing the office door behind them, they both let out their breaths they've been holding. Well, it looked like they survived Tsunade this time.

"Ok, looks like we survived that. What do you want to do next?" Shikamaru asked Temari

"I'm hungry, so can we go eat first? Then we can go my place and talk this out." She said gesturing to her nonexistent belly.

"Sure, what do you want to eat?"

"Ramen." Temari said almost immediately

"Ok, Ichiraku ramen it is." Shikamaru chuckled

* * *

"Hey Shikamaru! Long time no see. And Temari, nice to see you back in Konoha!" Ichiraku greeted them cheerfully. "What can I get you two?"

After placing their orders, the couple got their food and ate away. They were both on their second bowl when they heard a familiar voice calling their name.

"Hey! Shikamaru! Temari!" Shikamaru sighed, they should've expected this. This was his favorite hang out afterall. Shikamaru was just glad he came alone.

"Hey Naruto, you want the usual I presume?" Ichiraku said

"Yep! You know me well old man!" Naruto answered before taking a seat next to Shikamaru.

"Soo what are you guys doing here together? On a date or what?" Naruto teased, elbowing Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed "Yes Naruto, we are on a date. In fact, Temari and I are so in love, we are actually having a baby together."

Temari's head snapped back and she turned to glare at Shikamaru. He gave her a "Shhh don't worry" glance

"Ha! Yeah right, you guys are just messing with me." Naruto's first bowl of ramen appeared in front of him and he soon forgot about the world around him as he devoured it.

Temari breathed a sigh of relief; this kid is still as oblivious as ever. Hard to believe he's going to be hokage one day. She and Shikamaru finished their lunch quickly before anyone else could spot them and left for her apartment.

"Thanks guys! Come again soon!" Ichiraku called out as they left. "Ahhh young love these days." He smiled

* * *

The couple got to Temari's apartment, then settled themselves next to each other on the couch. But neither could bear look at the other.

"So." Shikamaru was the first to break the silence. "What's next?"

"You tell me genius, you're the one who's all about planning ahead." Temari said bitterly but sarcastically. "This was definitely not part of my plan."

"Hey! It's not like I plan this either. Did you really think of me as the type to go out and trick a girl into having sex with me, just so I can get her pregnant? You know me better than that. Besides, if I was going to do that, why would I want to trick you? You're too smart for that kind of deceiving." Shikamaru explained

Temari sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry for snapping." She realized she might've been too harsh on him. It must be the hormones kicking in.

"So we both know that neither one of us anticipated this when we started our…agreement…" Shikamaru said, not wanting to use the words 'having wild heated sex with no feelings'. "But here it is. So my first question would be, do you want to…have it?"

Temari leaned back on the couch and placed her hand on her belly. Knowing there's now a life that they created, growing in there, was such a strange feeling. As much as she wanted to reject it, she oddly felt a connection. "I am not ready to be a mother. Truthfully I never planned to be one. The idea of giving birth disgusts me. And having a child totally gets in the way of my plans of having a long career as a shinobi."

Hearing all those sentences come out of Temari stung Shikamaru. He knew she was a tough girl with high dedications to her life as a shinobi, but he didn't think the idea of becoming a mother would disgust her that much.

"But as much as I want to get rid of this child and go about my life, I don't really understand why but something is telling me no." Temari really didn't understand what she was feeling. Every part of her is staying she should get an abortion, every part except her heart. She doesn't know if it's the hormones or the reality that she's actually pregnant, but something tells her that she will regret it if she gets an abortion.

She finally looked at Shikamaru and saw the expression he had on his face. She took a deep breath and looked back at her nonexistent belly. "I guess what I'm saying is I'm…going to have this baby…" She said hesitantly. God she hated feeling indecisive and unsure

Shikamaru looked up at her. "You sure about that?"

"I guess. Still have time to think about it more, but for now. Yeah." She looked at him in the eye. "Do you want the baby?"

"I'm in the same boat as you. I don't feel ready to be a father yet. I had life plans like you do. But if you think I'm going to let you walk out of my life with my child, then you're not as smart as I made you out to be." Shikamaru place his hand on top of hers that was on her belly. For a moment, the two of them actually looked like a loving couple. But that moment passed as soon as it came.

Shikamaru took his hand off of her and resumed his previous position. "So now what?"

Temari sighed, "I really don't feel ready to tell the world yet, god forbid people find out how this actually happened. I guess we should give this relationship thing a try. You know, ease our way into it."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Shikamaru was glad she felt the same as him and relieved that she wasn't completely intent on getting an abortion. "As much as I want to avoid this, I think we have to at least tell our families soon. The longer we wait on them, the uglier things get."

Temari rubbed her temple. She didn't even think about Gaara and Kankuro until now. Great, they're going to kill Shikamaru if not her too. Plus if word gets out about how the Kazakage's sister came to be pregnant, who know what kind of damage that would do to Gaara's reputation? But she knew Shikamaru was right, the sooner she tells her brothers, the better. "You're right; I have to tell my brothers eventually. Though I'm gonna warn you now, they're probably going kill both of us"

"Yeah I know." Shikamaru shuttered with the thought of being enclosed inside Kankuro's puppet or inside Gaara's sand. "We're going to have to talk to my parents too." Shikamaru rubbed his head too

"I don't think they would kill us, but they'll probably be a nag about it. Especially when they find out we don't plan on getting married." Shikamaru explained

"Ok, we should probably talk to them first then." Temari said

"Yeah." Shikamaru pulled Temari closer to him, so that her head was resting on his shoulder. Finally they were getting somewhere.

* * *

That's all for now! Managed the get the chapter out within a few days as promised. Thanks you to all of those who favorite, followed, and/or reviewed my story. I hope I can live up to you guy's expectations XD.

Ok see you guys in the next update! (Hopefully in another few days)

And don't forget to vote on the gender of the baby if you want to! (The poll in on my profile)


	7. Family Plans

Family Plans

A few days has passed without any major events, much to the couple's relief. They worked out a few more details and planned a dinner with his parents. Now it was time for them to meet with Tsunade again. Once again, they found themselves in front of the Hokage office.

"Ready?" Shikamaru asked

"I guess" She was a lot calmer standing in front of the door this time than last. She knocked on the door, which was answered by Shizune

"So. You guys have a plan?" Tsunade asked

"Well, we're currently planning to keep the baby." Shikamaru said

"Ok, that's a start." Tsunade said. "Anything else?"

"Well, we think it's best if we keep it a secret for now. We don't want word to leak out that Temari is expecting because that might cause her to be a target of attack and such. So it would be nice if you guys can keep this between us." Shikamaru explained

"Don't worry; we're going to tell our families at least." Temari added on

"Good, that's good to hear," Tsunade said. "Ok, here's what's going to happen; you two are going to tell your family about this first. Temari, I will temporarily release you from your duties here in Konoha next week so you can go back to Suna. But before you go, you need to get another checkup. I will assign Shizune as your medic for the time being."

"Ok sounds good to us." Shikamaru said

"Good, we'll deal with the rest another time." Tsunade said

Shizune walked the couple out of the office. One the way out, she expressed her excitement about the baby. It seemed like she was more excited about the news than they were.

"Wow you guys, this is so exciting! You're going to be parents! Oh I can't wait to see the baby grow."

"Um Shizune, you know it's us having the baby, not you?" Shikamaru said

"Oh I know, but it's still exciting, not many ninja babies have been born lately." Shizune said

Shikamaru was going to say something back to Shizune, but he noticed she wasn't really paying attention to them. He followed her eyes and saw that she was looking at a group of Jonins who had just gotten back from a misson. He then saw Genma smile at her and wink before turning his attention back to his group. Shizune blushed at this exchange. Shikamaru chuckled then elbowed her playfully to get her attention.

"Hey, maybe you should have a baby then." He looked at her and then at Genma. Shizune's face turned red almost immediately

"Whattt!"

"Hey, you're not getting any younger, might as well jump at the chance." Shikamaru said teasingly

"but…but the…I…uhh" She seemed to have forgotten words. Luckily Temari came to her rescue

"Hey, stop teasing her. Anyways, I guess I'll come find you in a few days for another checkup."

"Yeah sure! Just come to my office. I'll let you guys go on from here. See you in a few days!" She waved at the couple

"Ok, enjoy your boyfriend!" Temari added in when she noticed where Shizune was headed. She noticed Shizune freeze for a sec before continuing her walk towards Genma.

"Ok that was interesting." Shikamaru said

"Yeah, but hey, at least she seems happy." Temari said. "Ok what now?"

"Well, in case you forgot, we have dinner with my parents tonight." So I say we head back for now and get ready for that.

"Oh yeah, that's true."

* * *

This wasn't the first time Temari has met Shikamaru's parents. Since Shikamaru's father, Shikaku was the Jonin Commander; she had to report to him on several occasions. And since Yoshino likes to remain active in her family's life, Temari had crossed paths with her from time to time when she'd drop off lunch for the guys or something. But this was the first time she was going to meet them as "Shikamaru's girlfriend." Ughh, that phrase was still weird to her, in her head. Not only that, she was going to have to tell them that they're having a baby as well. There was so many ways this night could go wrong. Temari hasn't felt this uneasy in a long time.

By the time they reached the front gates of the Nara clan compound, Temari's stomach was turning. Suddenly she felt the contents of her stomach coming up. She quickly ducked behind a nearby bush and threw up.

She looked up to see a folded handkerchief in front of her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I am for now." She took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

"Wow, are you that nervous to see us?" Temari looked up again to see that Shikamaru was no longer alone; his father was now standing next to him.

"Oh…hi Mr. Nara, it's nice to see you again. Sorry if you had to witness that. It must've been something I ate." Temari bowed politely, trying her best to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Oh relax! Come on in! It's nice to see you too. Can you imagine the surprise when me and my wife heard that Shikamaru was in a relationship and with you? Actually, no, we weren't surprised at all. Hahahaha" Shikaku led the couple inside the compound and towards their home, located near the back.

"Dad please." Shikamaru begged father to stop talking

But Shikaku ignored his son's plea. "Wait until you see the dinner Yoshino prepared. She was so happy when she heard your Shikamaru's girlfriend."

"Don't tell me she cooked up a storm again."

"She sure did. Don't worry; she made some of your favorites too." Shikaku said as they reached the house. "Honey I'm home! Shikamaru and Temari are here too!" Shikaku opened the front door and let the couple in.

Right away, Temari's nose was hit with many delicious scents. Shikaku was probably right about Yoshino cooking up a storm. After she threw up the rest of the food in her stomach, she was hungry.

"Hello Temari, Welcome to our home!" Yoshino greeted while placing a large dish on the table. "Boys, we have a guest in the house, show some manners! Shikamaru, show Temari to the garden until dinner is ready, and Shikaku, help me set up the table." The Nara boys obediently did what they were told.

Shikamaru showed Temari through the house and out the back door to the garden. "Sorry about my parents. They can be a bit…much at times."

"No, I like them. They're good people." Temari looked around the garden. It wasn't big, but it was gorgeous. There were many little beds of flower that somehow all come together beautifully.

"Do you think they'll be ok about us?" She asked worryingly

"Yeah, I guess for the most part. We may be a prominent clan in this village and we do have traditions, but the people here are pretty lax, especially the men." Shikamaru scratched his head. In reality, he wasn't really sure what his parents are going to think of this, it could go either way. But he figured now wasn't a good time to freak her out. They would just have to hope for the best.

"Shikamaru! Temari! Dinner is ready!" The couple heard Yoshino call.

"We better get going. The last thing we'd want is to hear that troublesome women complain about us taking too long and the food getting cold." Shikamaru grabbed Temari's hand and led her into the dining room.

* * *

That's all for now! Sorry for taking longer to update, I had a lot going on in the past couple of days. Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far; I'm trying really hard to not let this story fall flat because I keep feeling like I would xD. So yeah, next chapter will be more of the couple and Shikamaru's family, so I guess I'll see you then!


	8. Revelations and Confessions

Revelations and Confessions

Dinner was largely uneventful, the family spent time catching up on what was going on in their lives, Temari told them a little bit about her life in Suna, and updated them on how her brothers were doing. She had to admit, Yoshino sure knew how to cook a meal; everything seemed to satisfy the cravings that she didn't even know she had. And the overall atmosphere was light and calm, Temari didn't even remember the last time she had a family dinner, it was something she missed. She was enjoying herself so much that she almost forgot the reason she was hear in the first place. That is, until Shikamaru finally brought it up at the end of dinner.

"Mom, dad, the reason I brought Temari over wasn't just because I wanted you guys to meet her. There is another reason." He looked at Temari as if to get permission from her to continue, she gave a slight nod.

"So we've been secretly seeing each other for the past few months, because we didn't want to make a big deal out of it and stuff. Well long story short, we recently found out that Temari is pregnant." Shikamaru looked at Temari and then his parents. Since there was silence in the room, he continued to talk while he let the news sink in.

"We've talked about what we're going to do and we've decided that we're going to keep it. I know we're still young, but we thought it was time to think like adults and take responsibility."

There was more silence in the room. Yoshino stood up walked over to Shikamaru and smacked him across the face. "This is very irresponsible of you! How could you impregnate such a promising woman so young? Look at her? She had a bright future as a shinobi, now she's tied down."

Shikamaru didn't dare look up at his mother. He really didn't know what to say to her. Neither did anyone else in the room.

Yoshino took a deep breath and returned to her seat. "Look, as much as I think you guys are too young to be parents, I'll support you. Besides, I don't think I could get a grandchild out of Shikamaru any other way."

Shikamaru blushed at the last comment, "troublesome"

"Hey watch your language! You're gonna be a father soon; you need to learn to control your mouth." Yoshino turned to Temari, "I'm sorry my son got you into this, if he ever causes you any trouble, don't hesitate to let me know."

Shikamaru was surprised on how fast his mother's attitude could change between him and Temari, but he was relieved that his mother was supporting them. He turned to his father who had remained silent this whole time.

"Well, it looks like you guys had already made your decision, so there's not much I can do to change your minds. So I'll support you guys on this as well. I just wished you hadn't made me a grandpa so young, but I'm happy at the same time," Shikaku smiled at the couple. As hard as it was for him to see his son grow up so fast, he knew he had to at some point. If Shikamaru was anything like him, he'll do alright.

Temari was relieved; his parents weren't going to kill them. That was good enough for her.

When dinner concluded, Temari helped Yoshino clear the table while Shikaku excused himself, dragging Shikamaru along. Yoshino didn't mind this because it gave her a chance to talk to Temari.

"So, how do you really feel about this?" Yoshino asked her, hoping that she would open up to her.

"About having a child with Shikamaru? Honestly, I'm scared out of my mind. I never even considered being a mother; I hardly remember mine, so I don't know how to be one. But then I found out I was pregnant and I just…couldn't bring myself to get an abortion. I don't know what it is, but something's telling me I should have this baby." Temari took a deep breath and leaned against the kitchen counter before continuing. Shikamaru is one of the laziest, most annoying person I've met. He has so much potential to be great, but he's throwing all that away to, I don't know, watch clouds all day. He's one of those people you just look at and wonder if he'd ever grow up. But he's proven everyone wrong, when the time comes, he knows when to step up and take responsibility. I still have no plans of marrying him anytime soon, but I think we can somehow make this parenting thing work." Temari looked down at her belly then back at Yoshino, she hated feeling this weak and exposing her emotions, but something told her she could trust Shikamaru's mother.

"I see," Yoshino smiled at Temari then placed one hand on her shoulder. "You know, you remind me a lot of myself. So I know what you're going through. I didn't know what to do when I found out I was pregnant with Shikamaru. Of course, I was married by then and already had pressure from our families to have a child. But I had career as a kunoichi that I wanted to live out, so I figured kids will come later in life. Unfortunately, that didn't work as I planned. I ultimately chose to have Shikamaru and after his birth, I once again had a choice to make. I could either go back to being a full-fledged kunoichi, or retire and take care of the house. Before all that, I never thought I'd choose the latter, but I did. I will be honest with you, there were many up and downs during and after the pregnancy, I constantly wondered if I'd made the right choice. But looking back, I'm glad I did what I did."

A single tear rolled down Temari's face. "How do you do all this, how do you know what to do? I have no clue on how to be a good mother. I lost mine at a young age and yes I've helped raise my brothers. But this feels different somehow. I will I know that I'm not going to screw something up?"

Yoshino pulled Temari into a hug. "Oh honey, that's a part of life. Part of living. You learn as you go along. Do you think I knew how to raise a child from the start? Of course not. You should've seen the mistakes I made as a young mother, but look at Shikamaru now. Not to brag or anything, but I must've done something right because he turned out ok. Especially if he could nab a girl like you."

Temari returned the hug. It felt nice to get that warm motherly embrace once again. Though Temari was surprised that this was coming from Yoshino, the harsh "troublesome" woman that Shikamaru had always described her to be. She wondered if she'd be like this too once she's become a mother. "Thank you Mrs. Nara, its nice to hear all this from a person who's gone through all this."

"Mrs. Nara? Please cut the formalities, you can just call me mom." Yoshino released the hug and started washing the dishes. "And if you ever have any questions, someone to talk to, or someone to give Shikamaru a stern beating, let me know." She smiled at Temari. This girl was growing on her and if she was anything like herself when she was her age, Yoshino knows Temari will be ok.

"Ok, thanks Mom." Temari smiled and started drying the dishes for Yoshino. Maybe she can pull off this whole mother thing. "I wonder what's going on between Shikamaru and Shikaku?"

* * *

Shikaku had dragged Shikamaru out of the house and continued to drag him until they were at the edge of the Nara forest.

"You want to talk about something dad?" Shikamaru asked after they stopped walking.

Shikaku turned and looked at his son before turning around again and started walking into the forest. "Let me guess, you guys weren't actually dating until very recently. You had gotten her pregnant on accident and then decided to do this whole _we've been secretly dating _thing to cover it up."

Shikamaru shouldn't have been surprised that his father had figure this out so fast, he was a master at reading people. He sighed, "You're right."

"Oh really? On which part?"

"Pretty much the entire thing. It was stupid; we kind of had this agreement thing going where we can have all the sex without the relationship crap or feelings and stuff. It was good for a while, until you know…" There really was no point in hiding any more information from his father.

"Until you guys discovered that your agreement had produced the ultimate consequence. That was very reckless of you two. I'm not going to lecture you because I know you already know what I'm going to say. But I'm going to assume that, despite this no feelings thing; you did fall for her didn't you?"

Shikamaru looked up at his father, then looked away. "Yeah, I did. She's such troublesome woman. Probably the most troublesome one I've met, but there's just something about her that makes me not want to let her go."

Shikaku chuckled at his son's confession. "Well, that's the Nara men curse I guess, we always fall for those tough women. Make sure you keep her close and treat her well."

"Yeah I guess. Women are so hard to read. One second they're fine, the next, they're slapping you in the face. But I do want to keep Temari around, as troublesome as she is. Plus I want to at least be a decent father to my child." Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the sky. "So much for that simple, average shinobi life I had planned."

"Hey, you know you can't really plan out life. Sometimes things just happen and you have to just go with it. Things happen and you just have to adjust your plans, sometimes for the better sometimes for the worst. Since you are my son, I know you will make a fine father. If not, I'm sure Temari will know how to keep you in line." Shikaku saw Shikamaru turn away to hide the blush that was forming on his face, he smiled. "Come on, help me feed the deer."

With that, the father and son walked into the forest to tend to the deer.

* * *

That's all for now!

So it was brought to my attention by a few people that my chapters are too short. I apologize if they're short, but unfortunately, they're probably going to stay this length because it's just how I write. I don't know how or when I started this, but somewhere along the way, I set a bar for myself that all my chapters should be at least (or close to) 1,000 words because personally I felt like that was a comfortable reading amount. My thought process behind this kinda hard to explain (?), like I feel like it's a good length to write a scene/event without leaving out too much detail or going into too much detail. Normally I will write to make sure I go over 1,000 then find a good stopping point to end the chapter (which is usually a few hundred words in). Like I said, I don't know why I do this, but it works for me. So I'm sorry if the chapters are short, I will try my best to take that into consideration while writing or at least update more frequently. Ok I'm done rambling. Thanks for sticking by and I'll see you in the next update!


	9. Back to Suna

Back to Suna

The week following the meeting with Shikamaru's parents passed without much event. And after receiving a clean bill of health from Shizune; it was time for Temari to head back home to inform her brothers of the news.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to travel alone? Maybe I should go to Suna with you." Shikamaru was standing at the village entrance as Temari was about to leave.

"Look, I'm just pregnant, not invalid. I'm a Jonin, for crying out loud, so stop treating me like I'm weak and helpless.

Shikamaru put his hands up in protest, "Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! Man, you women are troublesome."

Temari chose to ignore his comment. "Besides, I think it's better if I tell my brothers the news alone. We better let the news sink in first before you face them, they might still try to kill you, but you'd have a better chance of living."

Sikamaru sighed, there was no use trying to argue with her. "Ok fine, but be careful out there."

Temari snorted, "I've traveled the path from Suna to Konoha countless times I can do it in my sleep."

"See you in a few weeks, Crybaby." With that, Temari was on her way to Suna.

* * *

When she reached Suna 3 days later, it was Masturi and Sari who were present to greet her instead of Kankuro.

"Hi Lady Temari!" Mastuda called out as soon as she was within earshot.

"Hi girls, where's Kankuro? He's usually the one who comes to greet me. Temari looked around not seeing Kankuro anywhere. "Is he alright?!"

"Oh relax; he's fine, he just trying to catch up on his paperwork. Gaara sent us to escort you back to your place. He told us to tell you that him and Kankuro will be there for dinner tonight." Sari said

"Ok good." Temari followed the 2 girls to her house.

Along the way, the 2 kunoichis showered Temari with questions hoping to get some gossip out of her. "So Lady Temari, how's it going? Got a boyfriend yet? How are things going in Konoha?"

But Temari kept the gossip to a minimum and gave out only short, vague answers.

"Come on Lady Temari, you gotta give us something! How's your Shikamaru?" Sari asked. Then she noticed Temari turn away, blushing ever so slightly. "Ooohhh, so you guys are officially together! Tell us, what's he like?" Sari playfully elbowed Temari.

"Yeah lady Temari, tell us!" Matsuri begged

"T-that's none of your business. You girls should be more focused on your training and missions rather than gossiping. Aren't you participating in the chunin exams soon?" Temari said

"Ok ok, I'm sorry for prying. But you and Shikamaru are perfect for each other!" Sari said

"Yeah, and don't worry we're training hard, we just want to know what's going on." Masturi added

Temari sighed, "Sorry for snapping at you guys, I'm just tired."

"Oh its ok Lady Temari." These girls were very forgiving when it comes to their Lady Temari. They're also some of the few people in this village who don't treat her differently just because she's the current Kazekage's sister and the former Kazekage's daughter. In a way, these 2 were the closest to what she considers as friends here in Suna.

Matsuri and Sari said goodbye to Temari once they arrived at her house, but not before making her promise to hang out before she leaves for Konoha. Temari went inside flopped on her couch and fell asleep. The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake.

"Hey Temari, wake up!" Kankuro shook his sister, but regretted it as soon as Temari shot up, pushed him to the ground and mounted him, shoving a kunai dangerously close to his throat.

"Relax Temari! It's me. Geez I'm sorry I woke you up."

Temari got up as soon as she realized it was her brother that she attacked. "Kankuro! Oh it's you. Sorry about that."

"Eh that was a close one, but no harm done I guess." Kankuro got up and dusted himself off.

"What's with all this racket? Kankuro, I told you to wake Temari up, not torture her." The two siblings turned to face their younger brother who had just emerged from the kitchen. He was wearing Temari's frilly purple apron, a sight not seen by many outsiders.

"I did, and she attacked me out of nowhere." Kankuro explained.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"All right then, dinner is just about ready.´Gaara turned at went back into the kitchen to place the food he cooked onto 3 plates. Kankuro and Temari looked at each other; they both silently giggled. They both had just imagined Gaara giving out orders to their fellow shinobi while wearing that apron. Even though their baby brother has cooked for them from time to time, they still couldn't get used to seeing him in that apron. And it was funny imagining other people's reaction to this side of Gaara.

They helped Gaara set up the dining room table and dinner was served. Temari spent most of dinner updating her brothers on the current situations of Konoha and other news surrounding the allied villages. This was partly because these were the things her brother, as Kazekage, needed to be up to date about, but mostly because she was trying to distract herself from dropping her news on them. But as dinner came to an end, she knew she couldn't stall it any longer.

"Umm guys, t-there's s-something I should tell you…" She stared at her plate and started fidgeting with the fork.

"What is it Temari?" Gaara asked

"I….Uh….well…I'm uh…" Temari racked her brain, trying to find the best words to connect together to pass the news.

"Spit it out already! Whatever it is, you can tell us." Kankuro was starting to get impatient

Temari dropped her fork and took a deep breath, there was no turning back now, "I'm pregnant."

* * *

That's all for now! You'll get Kankuro and Gaara's reaction to Temari's news next chapter.

I'm sorry this chapter is really short, I promise I will update in a few days.

P.S. if you want, voting is still open for the gender of the Shikatema baby on my profile! Ok see you in the next update!


	10. A Brothers' Rage

A Brothers' Rage

Temari looked up just in time to see both of her brother's jaws drop. She braced herself for whatever was coming her way. But only silence came.

Finally, Gaara spoke up. "Who's the father?" His voice was as calm as ever, which made it hard for her to decipher what he was feeling.

She simply looked down, unsure whether it was safe to reveal the father or not.

"Well, who is it?" Kankuro demanded. His tone was harsh, making it harder for her to talk.

Kankuro didn't take suspense or being ignored well, so he angrily got up from his seat, walked over to his sister, and grabbed her by the collar. "You don't know who the father is do you? Is that why you're having a hard time telling us? You've probably been busy whoring around Konoha all this time and now your-"

A loud snap echoed through the room as Temari's hand made contact with Kankuro's face. He immediately stopped talking and released Temari's collar.

"I-is that what you really think of me as?" Temari had completely broken down.

He looked up and saw tears streaming down Temari's face. His sister was never the one to cry this easily, so he regretted what he had said.

"That's ENOUGH!" Kankuro and Temari looked at Gaara, who had finally spoken up again.

Kankuro looks down and apologized to no one in particular.

Gaara sighed, time for him to take charge and control the situation, "Ok Temari, go get yourself together. We're gonna wait in the living room. And we're going to TALK about this CALMLY, as a family. Got it?"

Temari took her brother's orders and did what she was told. She went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. Once she pulled herself together, she went back out to the living room where she found her brothers sitting on the couch waiting for her.

She stood in front of her brothers and started to explain, "First off, I am a Jonin ranked Shinobi, an ambassador of Suna, the sister and personal body guard of the current Kazekage, and the daughter of the previous; with these statuses I can't afford to whore around and I don't intended to. Second, yes I do know who the father is and he know about this as well. And finally, I can't believe you would think this low of me. Don't you know me at all?" She glared at Kankuro, who looked up and whispered an apology.

But Gaara wasn't satisfied with it. "Kankuro, you were out of line, apologize to our sister properly."

"Ok ok!" Kankuro stood up and looked at Temari, "Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I didn't mean it. It was anger talk and it won't happen again." With that, he sat back down.

Temari sighed, at least Kankuro had calmed down. "Shikamaru is the father-"

Kankuro shot up from his seat again, "I'm gonna kill him! Gaara, please give me official permission to go to Konoha right now so I can kick this lazy bastard's ass!"

"No, I will not do that. You know it doesn't work that way. Sit down!" Gaara kept his calm demeanor, but deep inside, he also wanted to beat Shikamaru for laying a hand on his sister.

"Kankuro, please calm down and let me explain." Temari begged before continuing, "Look, me and Shikamaru have talked things over and we've agreed to give this parenting thing a shot. We've already talked to his family as well and we're going to try our best to make things work. All we need is your support and promise that you're not going to kill him."

Both brothers stared at her, letting the information she just told them sink in. Finally, Gaara spoke up, "So…how did this happen?"

Temari turned red then looked away. She didn't think she'd have to give her brother the talk, "I…I rather not say."

Now it was Gaara's turn to turn red. "Not THAT. You know what, I don't want to know."

"Look, I'll be honest with you guys. Me and Shikamaru had like…a friends with benefits agreement, yes it was stupid, but it was a good idea at the time, don't ever do it. Now this is the consequence." She gestured at her stomach before continuing. "But like I said before, we've talked about this and we've decided to raise our child the best we can. Ok? So please don't kill Shikamaru because this wasn't just his fault."

Temari sat down in an armchair and waited for her brothers response. Kankuro spoke first, "Well, as much as I hate the idea that someone has laid a hand on my sister, there's nothing I can do about it. It's your life to live. So I guess I'm ok with this. I promise I won't kill Shikamaru; though I don't think he'd do much as a father, seeing as how lazy he is."

Temari chose to ignore the 2nd half of Kankuro's statement, "Thank you Kankuro." She turned to Gaara .

"If you choose to keep the baby and parent him or her with Shikamaru, then you have my blessing as the Kazekage. You just let me know, what you need adjusted in your job as a shinobi and we'll plan accordingly. As your brother, I have to ask; are you sure this is what you want? Don't take this the wrong way, I just want to make sure no one made you make the decisions you've made."

Temari was still amazed at how mature Gaara was for his age and how well he knew how to handle tough and confusing situations, "Yes this is what I want. At first, I wasn't sure about the idea of putting my shinobi career on hold. But there's something telling me I shouldn't let this baby go, something telling me that I should give motherhood a chance. I don't know if I'll be a good mother, but I'm gonna try my best. And I know I have Shikamaru and his family's support on this."

Gaara smiled. "Good, that's good to hear. And I'm sure you'll make a fine mother."

"Yeah sis. I mean, you practically raised us ever since mom died. You as a mother isn't what I'm worried about. It's Shikamaru taking responsibilities as a father that I'm worried about. That guy just doesn't seem like the type." Kankuro said

Temari sighed, "Look, I know Shikamaru seems like a lazy ass who won't do anything that's too troublesome, but that's not all there is to him. You both know that he is one of the most intelligent minds to come out of Konoha in recent years. He knows when to step up and take responsibility. So I have no doubts about him doing his best to be a father."

"Alright, it looks like our family is growing." Gaara said with a smile

Temari smiled and placed a hand on her belly. "Yeah…"

"That's not going to be the only thing that's gonna be growing…" Kankuro teased while gesturing at his stomach. He got a couch pillow to the face, but the horrified look on Temari's face made that all worth it.

"So what's next?" Gaara asked

"Well, we're going to keep this a secret for now because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves and put our child's life at risk. So it would be nice if you guys don't tell anyone. Me and Shikamaru are also currently giving a relationship a shot as well, don't know how that'll work out but we'll see." Temari explained.

"I guess I'm ok with that for now. But if I find out that Shikamaru hurts you in any way, I won't hesitate to kill him." Kankuro said while Gaara nodded in agreement

Temari smiled at her brothers, and then got up to pull them into a tight hug. "Thank you, for accepting this. I love you guys." These two were the only family she had for a long time, but now that's about to change. Finally, everything about this situation seemed to be going in the right place.

* * *

Gahhh I'm sorry I updated later than I planned! I've been busy catching up on my summer class and work xD. So yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed part 2 of the Sandsiblings' dinner and I'll get the next update up as soon as I can!

Sidenote: I've been trying this thing with titling each chapter of my stories and I'm not very good at it, so sorry if the chapter titles don't make sense with the chapter (just kindly ignore them)


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